House of Commons photoLost her last election, in 2011, with 37% of the vote.
Pensions March 12th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, pensioners are suffering but the government will not listen.
While the Conservatives were AWOL, Liberals were working. We listened to the concerns of pensioners and we proposed well-studied ideas for pension reform, and the provinces agreed. These included a supplementary CPP, preferred status for pensioners on long-term disability, and allowing employees of bankrupt companies to grow their pensions through the CPP.
Why will the Conservatives not act now to help pensioners?
The Budget March 10th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I will share with my colleague the impact that this budget and the government have had on my riding of Mississauga—Streetsville.
The government has created a crisis in Mississauga so acute that our mayor had to call a job summit just to address our needs. She brought together business, government and labour because of the 11% unemployment rate, which is only at 8% nationally. The unemployment rate in my colleague's riding of Essex is almost 20% despite the rosy picture that he had painted.
The EI cases are some of the highest across the country in my riding and there is a 21 year waiting list for affordable housing—
The Budget March 10th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I would remind the member for Trinity—Spadina that she worked with the government to kill the national day care system that the Liberals were about to introduce, the national child care program that would have been so relevant for so many Canadians.
In response to her question, it was the Minister of Finance who cut a deal with the Governments of Ontario and B.C. to allow this structure that created the HST.
The Budget March 10th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I would to point to China and India as having incredible growth rates. I will not be preached at by him. I want to reinforce the notion that in the 1990s his government, under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, created a financial crisis where the IMF almost had to come in and bail us out. It created a deficit of $43 billion, which, as a percentage of GDP, is even larger than it is today. It took a Liberal government to come in and bail the Conservatives out.
Let us look at what the economy looked like when the Conservatives inherited the government. They inherited a $14 billion surplus and a $3 billion contingency plan, which, of course, they squandered right away. They also announced that there would not be a deficit. They called deficits stupid.
Now we have evidence that they cannot even track the size of the deficit that they have created. They started with $13 billion. It went to $36 billion, then $50 billion and then $56 billion. Who knows where it is going to end up? It is a bouncing ball.
The Budget March 10th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to join the debate on the budget and I will be sharing my time with the member for Kings—Hants.
In my first debate since “parliamentus interruptus”, when the House unexpectedly adjourned, I would like to wish you, Mr. Speaker, and my colleagues a happy return to Parliament. On this side of the House, we missed this place.
In my time I would like to discuss three important issues about the budget and why we cannot support it: first, a lack of job creation measures; the second, the lack of vision the government has shown; and, finally, the lack of strategy for seniors and pensioners.
Rather than recalibrating, we should have been discussing a vision for Canada in January, not in March. Instead, the government decided it needed an extended holiday to avoid debate on uncomfortable issues such as the torture of Afghan detainees or the delivery of unredacted documents to Parliament. It created an unwanted and unnecessary hiatus from its responsibilities. Shame on the government. What is clear to Canadians is the Conservatives hope for resuscitation, not recalibration.
Last year I joined the same debate and emphasized the need for stimulus funding, infrastructure moneys, changes to employment insurance, protection for manufacturing jobs, investment and innovation in green jobs and jobs for youth and new Canadians. That is what Mississaugans and Canadians wanted.
One year later, the government has once again ignored Canadians and introduced a flatline budget full of cuts, freezes and gimmicks. Meanwhile, Liberals have been working hard on the priorities of Canadians such as protection for the jobs of today, investment in innovation and the jobs of tomorrow, protection for the most vulnerable and a plan to help us climb out of the Conservative-made $56 billion deficit.
The shortcomings of the budget are numerous: no job creation strategy; no investment in early childhood development; no national child care plan; no affordable housing strategy; no pension reform; no national vision or legacy such as a national electrical grid or a high-speed trail; and no real jobs. The bottom line is no real benefits for real Canadians.
On jobs, the government has missed a chance to own the employment podium. It lost a golden opportunity. Unfortunately, this time on this issue Canadians will not even reach the podium, let alone own it.
At a time when Canadians are crying out for a plan for job growth and job creation, the government comes up short. In the past year we saw over 300,000 Canadians lose their jobs and remain out of work. The budget offers no solution to compensate for those lost jobs or the 8% of Canadians who are unemployed, a staggering 11% in Mississauga.
To inflict further pain, the Conservatives will impose a $13 billion job-killing small business tax. What were they thinking? Even the CFIB reported that this measure would kill more than 200,000 jobs.
While the Conservatives were on holidays, Liberals were working. As a caucus, we met with real Canadians facing real problems through the more than 33 round table consultations we held. The recurring issue was definitely jobs. We were told that getting people back to work was job one and Liberals listened. We made concrete and well documented proposals. Unfortunately, the government did not listen.
The first proposal involved support for our manufacturers. Our manufacturers can only create jobs if they have better access to the capital they need to invest in new equipment and to get ahead of their global competition. Our plan would boost productivity and competitiveness through a cash advance on the accelerated capital cost allowance, helping manufacturers to purchase new equipment, become more profitable and create more jobs.
The second proposal addressed was the high youth unemployment rate at an unprecedented 17%, higher in certain regions, the worst in a generation. Our plan would introduce a temporary financial incentive to hire young Canadians, thus giving employers a greater incentive to hire and train the next generation of workers. Mississauga—Streetsville has the potential to be a leading community in high-quality learning. Investing in children and youth will help students strive and reach their full potential. By not listening, the Conservatives robbed young Mississaugans of that opportunity.
Finally, we need to encourage investment in startup companies. By extending new investment models to emerging sectors, we can help bridge the gap between research and commercialization and create those high value-added jobs of tomorrow in the process.
We encouraged the government to adopt these proposals in the budget if it were truly concerned about stimulating and incentivizing job creation and strengthening Canada's economic future but it did not listen.
Last month, while we were prorogued, I attended the Mississauga job summit, along with 300 other concerned citizens. Mayor Hazel McCallion stated that Canadians were desperate for hope, jobs and functional government. Toronto Star columnist, David Crane, challenged us to be innovative, global in outlook and focused on education. John Tory talked about the basics of business.
There was a consensus on the need for a jobs agenda: short-term jobs for students, newcomers and those most recently unemployed, and long term, higher paying jobs for all Canadians.
Second is infrastructure spending. Through its black curtain of transparency, the government failed to take advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity to make an historic impact through the infrastructure stimulus plan and, sadly, it fell short.
Where is the leadership and the vision to make a real difference in our national infrastructure? After allegedly committing $50 billion over two years, what will the government have to show for its infrastructure investment? Certainly no dramatic or historic development, such as a high-speed rail corridor between Quebec City and Windsor, or a national electrical grid, or a green economy built on sustainable energy sources, or an innovation platform with a competitive advantage in R and D.
Rather than being historic and visionary, their legacy will be one of gimmicks, cuts and freezes. In fact, the Conservatives cut $148 million from Canada's Research Council in the last budget. Now we see them wanting to take credit for re-investing $32 million this year, which is still a $116 million shortfall.
Then there is the cancellation of the eco-energy program for renewable power production and the Conservatives' refusal to allow the Canadian Space Agency to spend $160 million in approved spending over the past two years. Now they want to take credit for adding $23 million in this budget. That is another $137 million shortfall.
It is no wonder the budget bounces around like a rubber ball. We heard the deficit numbers go from $16 billion to $36 billion to $50 billion to $56 billion and now I am hearing $49 billion because the government cannot count. We know why the deficit number will be lower next year. It is called lapsed funding. The Conservatives are masters of re-announcing old programs with old money, thus, fooling Canadians into believing it is all new programs with real money. It is not.
The Conservatives create optical illusions with lapsed money, committed money that is never sent out. Those funds are redirected back into general revenue and used to reduce the size of the deficit and the Conservatives try to take credit for it as prudent fiscal managers.
The Conservatives can fool Canadians by diverting attention onto the lyrics of our national anthem but Canadians are on to them and so are we.
Finally, where is the strategy to meet the challenges of our aging population and the reform to our pensions that the government promised?
The task force has not even begun yet. While Nortel pensioners burn, the government tinkers at the margins. Liberals proposed a supplementary CPP or changes to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act to allow pension funds to become secured creditors. Why has the government not adopted these proposals? Why has it not acted? All it has done for seniors is give them a day off that they cannot even afford to take.
Some will ask how we would fund these proposals. Of course the legacy infrastructure project would have been funded from the economic action stimulus fund but other measures on job creation could be funded from existing spending by eliminating wasteful government spending, such as the $100 million hyper-partisan advertising campaign, the overuse of management consultants, the unbridled use of ten percenters or the use of government jets for promotional announcements in donut chains. The PMO, while preaching austerity, has raised its own budget at the PCO by 22%, or $13 million, and that is pure hypocrisy.
Eliminating wasteful practices, such as those, would have saved $1.2 billion. The government should be ashamed of this budget for what it has not done to stimulate job creation, create a legacy with the stimulus fund or a strategy for our seniors and our pensioners.
We will not support these cuts, freezes and gimmicks. We understand the shortcomings of this budget. We understand the will of Canadians. We will be strategically voting on this budget to avoid the unnecessary election that no one wants.
The Budget March 10th, 2010
Mr. Speaker, I want to ask the member for Newmarket—Aurora what she, as a small business owner, thinks of the new payroll tax that will be imposed on small businesses. I would like to read to her what the CFIB said:
--the budget's assertion it does not increase taxation is nonsense. While taxes are frozen for the calendar year 2010, every employed Canadian and every Canadian business that has staff will experience a significant Employment Insurance premium hike starting in January 2011.
EI premiums are a form of job-killing payroll taxes--one of the most harmful forms of taxation to small business.
I would like to know what she thinks about that new tax.
Easter Seals Christmas Party December 9th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the Streetsville Rotary Club for all the tremendous work it does for our community. The club, along with the Mississauga West Club and, this year, the Credit Valley, Airport Road and Dixie Rotaries, organized the annual Easter Seals Christmas party.
The Christmas party is the highlight of the year for 170 Easter Seals kids and 70 members of their families in Mississauga.
As well as including a light lunch for the kids and parents, the event has clowns, face painting, animated costume characters, singalongs and, of course, a picture and a loot bag from Santa Claus.
The hit of the party was the Nerf ball snowball fight with Peel Regional Police, who take time away from their busy duties every year for this event.
Immediately following the party, the families moved up to Queen Street to a reserved spot to watch the annual Santa Claus parade in Streetsville.
I want to thank especially Bob Marr, Brian Atchison, Duncan Willock, Doug Gerrard and all the volunteers for their hard work.
Mr. Speaker, I wish my constituents and all of my colleagues on both sides of the House and you a Merry Christmas and peace—
Canada-China Relations December 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, is it any wonder there was so much international media attention paid to how frosty relations with China have become under the Conservative government.
The Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and the Minister of National Defence had previously accused the Chinese government of a massive spy ring targeting Canadian industry and individuals.
Do the ministers really have any evidence of this massive spy ring, or do they now understand that this wild Conservative rhetoric has undermined our relationship with China?
Canada-China Relations December 4th, 2009
Mr. Speaker, the fact that the Conservatives have let Canada's relationship with China fall apart these last four years has rightly received a lot of attention this week.
They claim they were dragging their heels on China because they wanted to see more progress on human rights. The reality is the Conservatives have made very little progress on human rights or anything else.
With this week's trade mission, do they now admit that the best way to improve both Canada's trade mission with China and enhance their commitment to human rights is to engage with China directly and consistently at the political level?
Questions Passed as Orders for Returns December 3rd, 2009
With regard to government radio advertising: (a) how much has the government spent on promoting Canada’s Economic Action Plan through advertising in Alberta; and (b) when was each advertisement aired, and on which radio station?